The short story that inspired the movie It's a Wonderful Life is included here along with an afterword by the author's daughter that tells how the story shaped the movie and accolades from the stars and director of the movie. 50,000 first printing. $40,000 ad/promo.
Book Description
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Authors
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
obvious historical interest,
By
This review is from: The Greatest Gift: The Original Story That Inspired the Christmas Classic It's a Wonderful Life (Hardcover)
It was the story I had been looking for all my life! A good man, ambitious. But so busy helping others, life seems to pass him by. Despondent. He wishes he had never been born. He gets his wish. Through the eyes of a guardian angel he sees the world as it would have been had he not been born. Wow! What an idea. The kind of idea that when I get old and sick and scared and ready to die -- they'll say, 'He made The Greatest Gift.' -Frank Capra I'm sure your family does it too, sit around watching It's a Wonderful Life and speaking all of the lines moments ahead of the characters. Younger folk may not recall that in the early 80's, before Republic Pictures reclaimed the copyright to the movie, it was on literally dozens of times from Thanksgiving to New Years every year. And we all watched it, every single showing. Somehow the upbeat message about the individual's capacity to change the world for the better achieved a special resonance in those heady Reagan Era days of promise. Now it's shown on a network just once a season as an attempt at Event programming, but every red blooded American family owns a videotape and pops it in at least a few times over the holidays. Turns out, the movie was based on a story by respected Civil War historian, Philip Van Doren Stern (one assumes he's from The Van Doren family of Quiz Show fame). The story sprang full blown from Van Doren's head while he was shaving on the morning of Feb. 12, 1938. He rewrote it several times and then in 1943 sent it to his agent to see if he could get a magazine to buy it. Unbelievably, they all turned it down. So he had a couple hundred copies made and sent them to friends in their Christmas cards. Someone showed the story to Frank Capra when he was looking for a project after the War ended and, if the quote above is to be believed, he instantly realized that he had an American classic in his hands. The story itself is much more spare than the movie. Characters like Uncle Billy, Violet Bick, Ernie and Bert and even Mr. Potter are all missing. But the essential tale, of George Pratt contemplating suicide and a guardian angel intervening to show him the effect he has had on the lives of others, remains. This is one of those rare instances where a movie actually improves upon the written version, but the story is still quite affecting and has obvious historical interest. GRADE: B MOVIE GRADE: A+
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoy story and a movie,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Greatest Gift: The Original Story That Inspired the Christmas Classic It's a Wonderful Life (Hardcover)
My book club read this story and then watched IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE. It was a great evening. I am happy to own my own copy of THE GREATEST GIFT. The book was as I expected and arrived in pronto time. Thanks!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Greatest Gift,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Greatest Gift: The Original Story That Inspired the Christmas Classic It's a Wonderful Life (Hardcover)
My mom loves "It's a Wonderful Life" and watches it several times every holiday season. She loved this book when I gave it to her for a Christmas gift!
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
So You'd Like to...
|
|
